Heart's Desires
by The Flippant Writer
Summary: Love's Depth Day is coming up and Pyrrha has her eyes on a certain blonde klutz. But with his eyes elsewhere and little experience in the matters of love, getting him to notice her is difficult. Yang, eager to play matchmaker, offers Pyrrha help. What's good for the goose, though, isn't always good for the gander.
1. An Interesting Proposition

Heart's Desires

Chapter One

Disclaimer: RWBY is the intellectual property of Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I claim no ownership.

* * *

_Long ago, before the formation of the first cities of Man, there was a woman of indescribable grace and beauty. Her eyes glimmered with passion, her skin was the softest shade of peach, and her voice could draw the envy of a choir of angels. Her touch was said to have caressed one's very soul, and her heart was said to be large enough to fit all of Vytal within it. This woman drew the admiration of many, and was looked up to as the very pinnacle of earthly beauty._

_Her radiance attracted many a suitor, all of them promising untold riches and everlasting comfort if she were to only join them in holy matrimony. The woman was aware of how beautiful she was. She knew that it was merely her unrivaled grace that attracted men like moths to a flame. So the woman, unphased by their promises of luxury, turned down each and every suitor._

_When one young suitor begged her to tell him what he could do to earn her hand, the woman thought for a long moment. She needed to hand him a difficult, near impossible, task to test how far his love extended. She remembered that an Elder Deathstalker dwelled within the nearby forest. Many hunting parties had gone out to slay it, only to come back with far fewer hunters than before. So, the woman told the suitor that, in order to win her love, he had to slay the Elder Deathstalker by himself and bring her the tail._

_The young suitor, terrified by the thought of having to face such a creature, left the woman and bothered her no more. Every suitor afterwards was presented this task, and every suitor turned it down._

_This trend continued for years, from adolescence to adulthood. Slowly, the number of suitors coming to her door trickled down to none. The woman remained staunch. She would settle for no less than someone who loved her enough to be willing to face the undefeated creature of Grimm. Her parents despaired, believing that she would never settle down and start a family._

_Until one day, a young hunter appeared on her doorstep. The hunter, fresh from training, asked the woman for her hand in marriage. The woman merely told him the task he must accomplish in order to win her love. To her surprise, the hunter accepted the task without hesitation, and ran off to accomplish the task before she could speak another word._

_Guilt roiled in the woman's stomach. She had not intended for anyone to attempt the task. That he had accepted showed her that he cared more for her than any suitor before him, and now he had ran off to his death. For the first time in her life, the woman felt despair. With a heavy heart, the woman retreated into her home and did not reemerge afterwards._

_The next day, there was a knock at her door. With guilt still burdening her soul, the woman trudged to the door, ready to simply turn away this suitor without a second thought. To her shock, it was the young hunter from the previous day. He was no longer clean, though. The hunter was covered in dirt and blood, his armor was beaten and scuffed. In the hunter's hand, being dragged behind him, was the tail of the Elder Deathstalker._

_The woman, overjoyed by his return and smitten with his accomplishment, agreed to marry the young hunter. The strength and depth of the young hunter's love became a story that fathers passed unto their sons, and mothers unto their daughters._

The snap of a text book being shut snapped everyone out of their trance.

"And _that_, class, is the tale of how Love's Depth Day came to be," Professor Oobleck announced, his usual rushed manner of speaking returning. The class took a few seconds to regain their bearings. Professor Oobleck was a surprisingly captivating storyteller.

The wild-haired professor took another sip of his espresso and began speaking rapid-fire. "Since the story's creation, Love's Depth Day has become day for all the stout-hearted young men to prove their love to their romantic interests. Of course, slaying exceptionally powerful Grimm has fallen out of the tradition considering the amount of failed attempts."

Another sip of espresso and a blurred dash to the other side of the room.

"So. If any of you hot-blooded young males think sneaking off to forest to hunt for Grimm is a great way to woo your lady friend, I want you to really consider the pros and cons of attempting such a thing. In my experience, flowers work just fine. They also lack the tendency to remove your limbs."

Another sip emptied his shot of espresso.

"Well. Most flowers do."

In the blink of an eye, the cup landed on his desk among the other empty mugs and shots, and a full cup of coffee appeared in his other hand. That no one visibly reacted to the feat was a testament to how common such a sight was. Oobleck sipped his coffee and opened his mouth to continue speaking when the bell rang.

"Hm. Very well. I want all of you to write a report on the history of Love's Depth Day and how it has affected today's society. Three pages. Due in two days time. Further details will be sent to your Scrolls. Class dismissed."

The professor was seated behind his desk in a flash, looking over the papers scattered across it. It was clear that the class no longer existed in his mind.

Pyrrha's materials were already neatly organized and put away. She remained seated though, patiently waiting for Jaune to discover where his pencil had disappeared to. As she waited, her mind was abuzz with thoughts.

Love's Depth Day was only a few days away, which had prompted Professor Oobleck's lecture. Of course, several boys had already approached her before today. She turned them all down. There was only one boy she wanted.

"Ready to go, Pyrrha?"

The redhead turned to look at the object of her affections. Jaune was standing up, waiting for her with an oblivious smile. He had no idea what that smile did to her insides.

In fact, he had no idea what he was to her at all.

With an internal sigh but an external smile, Pyrrha nodded and stood up to follow him to the cafeteria.

* * *

In the cafeteria, Team RWBY and Team JNPR were mingling at their usual table, where Ren was explaining his plans to Weiss.

"So...you two are spending Love's Depth Day together...? But as friends...?"

Ren was unphased by Weiss' dubiousness. He just shrugged and casually explained the circumstances.

"We've done it since we were kids. She always asks me to spend the day together- "

"Buh nuh togeffer-togeffer," Nora butted it in, her mouth full of food.

Weiss gave Ren an odd look, "Isn't it supposed to be the _guy_ who does the asking?"

Ren glanced pointedly at Nora, who had continued her eating contest with Ruby, and then fixed Weiss with a deadpan look. Weiss coughed into her hand.

"Right. I see," was her response. No other explanation was needed. It was unfortunate, as Weiss had hoped she could push Ren to take her out until after Love's Depth Day. She wasn't especially interested in him, but she needed someone to act as a buffer against other advances. And the mellow boy was rather cute. The only other boy she could turn to was-

"Speaking of _love_."

Weiss' eye twitched and she turned to her left to see Jaune putting on his best impression of a dashing gentleman. She was less than impressed.

Jaune continued speaking, either ignoring or completely oblivious of the deadpan look on her face, "Just say the word, Snow Angel, and I'll sweep you right off your feet."

A long moment consisting of Jaune smiling at her and Weiss glowering back at him passed silently. Slowly, the smile on Jaune's face turned into awkward and he turned back towards his tray.

Further down the table, Pyrrha was glancing at the scene and picking at her food distractedly. It hurt a little to watch Jaune attempt to flirt with Weiss, but she couldn't be mad at him for it. It's not like he knew how Pyrrha felt about him. It figured that the one guy she wanted was interested in someone else. Her only saving grace was that Weiss was wholly uninterested in Jaune.

Pyrrha sighed quietly and turned her eyes back towards her food. Her sigh wasn't quiet enough to escape Yang's notice, however. "What's up, P-Money?"

The amazon gave the golden-haired girl a reassuring smile, "It's nothing, Yang. I'm just thin-...did you just call me 'P-Money'?"

Yang completely ignored the question and latched on to what had caught her interest. "Don't think you can hide anything from me, Pyrrha," she said, a playful smirk splashed across her face. "Now, watchya got on your mind?"

Another quiet sigh escaped Pyrrha's lips. She knew Yang wouldn't let it go, but perhaps she would be satisfied with just a simple, undetailed answer. So, turning back to her tray, she nonchalantly responded. "I'm just thinking about Love's Depth Day."

"And how you want to spend it with Jaune?"

"Ye- ," Pyrrha caught the word before it could finish. Her head spun back around to look straight at Yang, and her eyes were widened in a mix of shock and embarrassment. "How did you- ?"

"How did I know that you're crushing on Vomit Boy?" Yang interrupted, her face perfectly imitating a cat who ate the canary. "Please, Pyrrha. You may think you're subtle, but to _me_, you're as obvious as a horde of stampeding Boarbatusks."

The fact that she had been found out so easily caused a light tinge of pink to grace her cheeks. Pyrrha could only be astonished at Yang's people-reading skills and grateful that she had lowered her voice from its usual volume.

The blonde leaned against the table and buffed her nails on her considerable chest. "Personally, I don't see his appeal. But hey, to each her own." Despite the casual manner of her speech, the smug grin never left her face.

"Really?" Pyrrha responded casually. "Personally, I don't quite understand how anyone _can't_ see it."

Yang's expression grew more teasing at that. "Spoken like a true, lovey-dovey schoolgirl."

Pyrrha's cheeks flushed at the comment. She still retained her composed facade, mostly unperturbed by Yang's teasing. It was just Yang being Yang. Eventually she'd grow bored and pursue other topics. Unfortunately for Pyrrha, this was a topic that Yang wanted to see to the end.

"Ya know," the blonde continued, leaning in slightly, "I seriously don't get it. I mean, you're a bigshot celebrity, right? You gotta have studs throwing themselves at your feet."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the quirk at the end of her lips. "They just weren't up to my standards, I suppose," she said airily.

"And _Vomit Boy_ is?"

"_Jaune_ is," Pyrrha corrected, feeling a flash of irritation. Yang held her hands up in faux surrender, but that damn grin was still present.

"You sound a bit testy, Pyrrha. Don't like his nickname?"

A light sigh left Pyrrha's lips, and she responded with a mildly firm tone. "Regardless of his...shortcomings, Jaune is still a good hunter and leader. He deserves some respect."

"Sounds like someone's pretty devoted to their leader," Yang said. "It's a shame, though..."

The tone was unmistakably baiting. Pyrrha couldn't help but bite. "What is?"

Yang made nonchalant motion with her hand, "Oh, it's nothing, really. It's just that you're so devoted to him, but he's _way_ too oblivious to notice you. It's gotta sting a bit."

_'And there it is__,'_ Pyrrha thought in exasperation. She wondered if Yang had been building to this moment from the start. Given the cheshire grin on her face, it seemed all too likely. The point of it all still eluded her. Now that Yang had her where she wanted her, though, she might as well see what brawler was trying to get at.

"I'll admit...it...hurts a little. Just a little, though," Pyrrha admitted carefully. She could admit physical weakness easily. Emotional weakness was a bit...odder.

Yang nodded and placed her hand on her chin, striking a thinking pose. "If you could get him to notice you, though, then it's a cakewalk from there."

Beating around the bush always felt like waste of time to Pyrrha. So, true to form, she got to the point in her own, polite manner. "What are you trying to say, Yang?"

Yang, unphased by Pyrrha's forwardness, grinned at her. "What I'm saying is, if you just use what you got, then Jaune'll be putty in your hands."

A quirked eyebrow. "'Use what I got'?"

"You know," Yang shrugged her shoulders. "Use your stuff."

The confusion on Pyrrha's face didn't let up. "My...'stuff'?"

"Yeah. Your _goods_." Yang shrugged her shoulders again, much more exaggeratedly this time. The effect it had on her bust was visible, and comprehension dawned on Pyrrha's face.

Followed immediately by embarrassment.

"Y-Yang...," Pyrrha began, a visible streak of red across her face, "You're not suggesting I...that I _seduce_ Jaune...are you?"

Yang's hands shot up in front of her, "Whoa, sister. No one said _anything_ about seducing. If you want to do that, that's your business."

Pyrrha's eyebrow quirked again, "What else could you have a meant?"

"I just meant that if you flirt with him a little, you'll have his attention in no time," she clarified matter-of-factly. Pyrrha remained unconvinced.

"Really? Because I could have sworn you just suggested I use my body to get his attention."

The busty blonde shrugged her shoulder, "Well, yeah, sorta. We flirt with our bodies. You can't tell me you've never tried to get a guy's attention by stretching a little."

Pyrrha response was airy but blunt. "I assure you, I haven't."

"Well, I suppose that's fair enough. Every girl has her own method," Yang said, waving her hand dismissively. "Then how do you flirt?"

"I...don't."

Yang blinked once.

Then she blinked again.

"You..._don't_?" Yang asked, seemingly bewildered by the redhead's confession.

Pyrrha's eyes turned to the side as she explained herself, "I just never found time or reason to...'flirt'. I was always training and participating in tournaments, and there was never a guy I was romantically interested in..."

"Until Jaune?" came the rhetorical question. Pyrrha nodded, still not finding it in her to meet Yang's eyes.

"So, let me get this straight," Yang began. "You've never flirted because you never liked someone before Vom- Jaune. And because of that, you have no idea how to flirt with _him_. And he's way too oblivious to pick up on any of your subtle signals. Did I get it all?"

"That's the gist of it, I suppose," Pyrrha shrugged, sounding fairly accepting of her circumstances. Yang threw her arm around Pyrrha's shoulder and brought her in close, a grin back on the blonde's face.

"You're in luck, P-Money, because you just happen to be friends with a girl who can wrap any guy in the school around her finger," she claimed.

Pyrrha gave her an odd look, "There it is again. Why am I 'P-Mon- '?"

"With my help," Yang interrupted, "you'll have Jaune eating outta the palm of your hands in no time."

"That's not exactly what I wa- "

"And all you have to do is follow my advice," Yang continued unabated. "You up for it?"

Pyrrha gave Yang a friendly, if a bit exasperated, smile. "Thank you, Yang. Really. But I don't need Jaune to 'eat out of the palm of my hands'. When the right time comes, I'll tell him how I feel."

Yang shrugged nonchalantly and returned Pyrrha's personal space. "That's cool. I just hope 'the right time' happens before my sister realizes the feelings she has for that dork."

_That_ caught Pyrrha's attention. "Feelings?" she questioned tentatively.

"Oh yeah," Yang nodded casually. "She's crushing on him big time. She just doesn't know it yet. But I guarantee you when she does, she won't waste any time going for it. It's a family trait."

Pyrrha wasn't stupid. She knew Yang was saying these things to get her to accept the help. However, that didn't do much to blunt the likelihood of such a claim. If Ruby did indeed have unrealized feelings for Jaune, she could end up complicating matters severely. She didn't want to have to rip away the younger girl's crush, but she wasn't about to let Jaune slip through her fingers while she still had a chance.

"Why would you help me gain the affections of the boy your sister likes?" Pyrrha questioned. Yang wasn't perturbed at all by the implication behind it.

"My baby sister is...kinda naive," Yang said. "She's more into weapons than people, so her people skills aren't really that good. If she realizes she likes Jaune, she might think its love. And if Jaune rejects her when she thinks she's in love..."

She didn't need to continue. It was all too clear why Yang was so set on helping her. Pyrrha had seen how inconsolable younger teens got when the 'love of their life' didn't love them back. While she doubted Ruby was so dramatic, she would really rather not see how the girl would deal with rejection.

_'_If _he__ rejects her__,'_ a tiny, almost inaudible voice in her mind said. She promptly ignored that cynical part of her mind. There would be no possibility of rejection or otherwise because Pyrrha would get to Jaune before Ruby. It might sting the girl's heart for a bit, but it was better than shattering it and causing Yang to hunt down Jaune with the fury of an Alpha Beowolf.

For the umpteenth time that day, Pyrrha sighed. Then she looked at Yang with a resigned smile.

"Very well. I accept your help."

Yang smiled victoriously, "Great! Meet me by the fountain after school. We're gonna get you your man."

* * *

**A/N:**** First chapter, done. This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story in the RWBY section. It's the wrong holiday for the current season but I wanted to get this out. So ignore all the Halloween decorations around you as you read this.**

**The original idea for this story started out as an amusing thought, and it eventually grew into a basic plot (sic rhymes, yo). Please, do tell me what you think. I enjoy character interactions, and I want to be sure I didn't wonk it up. This chapter will be subject to minor changes until the next update.**

**Shoutout to Ember and shikshiinjr from RWBY Forums for their help with brainstorming some ideas that'll be used later on.**

**Whoever can catch the reference to a certain tumblr-using RWBY fan will get a shoutout next chapter.**

**KineticKaiser, out.**


	2. Flawless Execution

Heart's Desires

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: RWBY is the intellectual property of Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I claim no ownership.

* * *

The sun had already set below the horizon when Pyrrha left to meet Yang. She had to cancel the usual after-school training session with Jaune and leave him with an excuse and an apology. His brief disappointment had nearly made her spill her guts.

As reluctant as she was to cancel one of her favorite times of the day and omit the truth from Jaune while doing so, she needed this. Yang was offering to help her claim Jaune before someone else could. Even if she was doing it for more personal reasons, it was an offer that Pyrrha couldn't turn down. Especially given her lack of experience in the arts of romanticism.

Arriving at the fountain, Pyrrha saw Yang sitting at the rim, seeming to be deep in thought. Her eyes were closed and her hand was cupping her chin. Pyrrha decided to make her presence known.

"Yan- "

Yang's other hand flew up, her index finger finger pointing out. It was the universal sign for 'shut up and give me a second'. Pyrrha wasn't the least bit insulted. If her pseudo-teacher needed some time to think, she would be patient. So, she waited.

.

.

.

And waited.

.

.

.

And waited.

.

.

.

Finally, Yang sighed in exasperation and stood up so fast that Pyrrha took a step back in surprise. She fixed the redhead with accusatory eyes and an equally accusatory finger. "You failed the test."

Pyrrha blinked in confusion. "The test?" she inquired.

Retracting her finger and setting her arms akimbo, Yang nodded firmly before proclaiming, "First rule of flirting: Never let the guy ignore you!"

The confusion Pyrrha felt only doubled and she tried to stammer out a response, "But you're not-...I thought-"

Yang's face melted into her usual joviality and she waved her hand dismissively. "Relax, Pyrrha. I didn't actually expect you to pass it. But now you'll always remember that rule!"

Pyrrha had no clue how to react to such an odd start to Yang's 'class'. She had not expected to be thrown off balance so suddenly. So she just nodded carefully, already feeling wary about the rest of the lesson.

The blonde brawler crossed her arms and continued speaking, "Now, onto the first lesson!"

Another long moment of silence passed.

Yang scratched her head. "Umm...give me a second here. I didn't plan anything past that test," she said. Pyrrha shook her head in mild amusement. It figured that she didn't prepare beforehand.

The snap of fingers signaled that Yang had gotten her thoughts together. "Got it! Alright, first lesson: Playing with your hair." Yang reached up and began twirling some hair on her finger.

"This is really simple stuff," she said. "It's not too obvious but it sends the right signal. It tells the guy you're interested in what he's saying"

Pyrrha didn't comprehend it in the least.

"If I'm interested in what he's saying, why would I play with my hair?" she politely inquired. "It would seem like I'm not interested at all."

"Second rule of flirting!" Yang proclaimed, wagging her finger at Pyrrha, "Never question the teacher."

"What does that have to do- "

"Second rule, Pyrrha!"

It was a battle Pyrrha knew she wouldn't win without great cost to her patience. She reluctantly kept quiet and waited for Yang to continue.

Yang grinned victoriously and continued with her lesson. "Alright! Now, along with playing with your hair, you also gotta laugh at his jokes. Even if they aren't funny."

A contemplative pause took place.

"_Especially_ if they aren't funny."

The female Spartan was beginning to sense a trend in the advice. A trend where none of the advice played to her sensibilities at all.

"So you want me to fake laughter? That seems dishonest." There was an undertone of hesitant discomfort in Pyrrha's voice. She was always politely amused by Jaune's attempts at humor, but they never drew out laughter from her. To fake laughter seemed mocking.

The jovial huntress shrugged and explained herself, "Well, yeah, it sorta is. But guys usually know their jokes are bad and love a girl who laughs at them. It's harmless."

The reasoning made sense, but it didn't still didn't sit well with Pyrrha. While she was fairly positive that Jaune wouldn't be insulted by false enjoyment of his humor, it would leave a sour taste in her mouth to lie right to his face like that. But if Yang, the class flirt, said it would work then she had to take her word for it.

Though hesitant to heed such advice, Pyrrha accepted it and nodded at Yang to continue.

"And make sure to touch him," Yang stated.

"Touch him as in...?" Pyrrha asked, drawing out the 'in'. Yang's wording was rarely tactful and could easily be misconstrued, as evidenced by their lunch conversation. She wanted to be sure she understood exactly what Yang was getting at before jumping to conclusions. The last thing she needed was for Yang to turn it around on her.

The mischievous look that crawled onto Yang's face told the her that it backfired, "Why, Pyrrha. You aren't hoping my advice includes some _physical_ intimacy, are you?."

Pyrrha felt an intense fluttering in her stomach at the idea of being physically intimate with the blue-eyed hunter. She kept her body and face visibly composed, though. Yang would have to try harder than that to get visible reaction from her.

"Oh, Pyrrha," Yang said jestingly, "your body says 'not funny' but my intuition tells me 'turned on'."

That comment wasn't even graced with a thought. Eager to divert from the racy direction the conversation was taking, Pyrrha bluntly changed the topic. "You didn't answer my question."

Yang's face made it clear that she wasn't done with the topic. Not by a long shot. She conceded, though; silently agreeing that they needed to get back to the lesson at hand.

"It's just some light stuff," she explained. "Just touch his arm and his shoulder and whatnot. You gotta make the conversation feel more intimate.

A small smirk crossed Yang's face as she loosed one last jab. "But not _too_ intimate, Pyrrha."

An exasperated sigh was Pyrrha's response. Internally, though, she was surprised at how sensible the advice was. She already had a tendency to establish light physical contact with Jaune anyway, so to keep doing so would be easy. Pyrrha hoped that whatever else Yang had to say was just as sensible.

"And that's pretty much it!"

Her hope instantly died a fiery death.

"That's...it?" she tentatively asked, half-expecting it to be a joke.

Yang nodded proudly, "Yup. That's it."

Pyrrha felt completely underwhelmed. Surely it couldn't be _that_ simple. "You can't be serious," she deadpanned.

"Oh, I'm serious," Yang nodded again, her grin not faltering in the slightest. "I don't think Jaune's ever been hit on in his life, so you really only need to use the basic stuff to get his attention."

"If that's all there is to it, then why did you have me come all the way out here to the fountain? You could have taught me all of this in-between classes." The redhead was clearly unamused by the situation.

Yang scratched the side of her head as a contemplative look took hold of her face. "Huh, I guess I coulda done that." The grin made a fast reappearance, though, "Sorry about that, P-Money."

"What does 'P-Money' eve- "

"Welp! You've got what you need. Go and reel in your Prince Dorky!"

Her hand slapped down on Pyrrha's shoulder and then she started walking back to the dorms, leaning her head back onto her hands.

Pyrrha knew she should be annoyed by Yang's casual disregard for her time, but her easy-going nature snuffed any irritation she might have felt. She decided to just be grateful towards Yang for her help. If her advice ended up bringing Jaune to her, then she wouldn't care in the slightest about wasted time.

* * *

The next morning arrived at Beacon, as it always did. In Team JNPR's room, four people were preparing for the day. On the boy's side, Ren was standing next to his bed fully dressed while Nora was bouncing on it, and waiting for Jaune to finish struggling with his socks. On the girl's side, Pyrrha was pulling her hair back into its usual ponytail

As she finished tying her hair up into its signature style, Pyrrha thought about the next few days ahead of her. She highly doubted that Jaune would fall head over heels for her after a single day of following Yang's nonsensical advice, but that was just fine. She just needed him to notice her as something more than a partner. She could wing the rest from there.

Nora's suddenly head popped through the makeshift curtain that split the room in two. "Hey, P-Money~! Ren and I are gonna go get some breakfast already! 'Kay, bye~!"

Before Pyrrha could even decide what to say - it was between 'okay' and 'what does P-Money mean?' - Nora was gone, presumably with Ren. That meant it was only her and-

"Wait, guys! I'm almost- !"

_Thud!_

"Ow..."

Pyrrha finished placing her ringlet around her head and got up to make sure the clumsy boy hadn't hurt himself too bad. She poked her head through the curtain and was met with the sight of Jaune flying flat on his face. His right foot had a sock slid on halfway, making it clear to her what had caused his fall.

"Are you alright, Jaune?"

Jaune's response was muffled,"Yeah...I'm cool..." He picked himself back up and dusted off the front of his blazer. The only indication that he had fell was a red mark on his forehead.

"Perhaps it would be safer to sit down and pull your socks on." Pyrrha offered playfully. Jaune just smiled sheepishly as he sat down and finished sliding his sock on, then reached over to grab his shoe. "Why's Nora in such a hurry anyway?" he asked as he pulled it on.

"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that it's because the cafeteria is serving atlas toast today," Pyrrha answered.

Jaune, finished with tying his shoe, stood up and started walking towards the door. "You'd think she and Ruby were sisters," he said jokingly as he walked.

_"-you also gotta laugh at his jokes. Even if they aren't funny."_

This was it, Pyrrha told herself. Just laugh naturally at the joke. Let him know you think he's funny. She took in a silent breath and-

"Aheheheh-ah-...ahem..." _  
_

Jaune, who's hand was only inches from the door, froze at the sound of the slightly creepy laughter. He slowly turned his head to peek at her over his shoulder with confused and slightly fearful eyes.

Pyrrha felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

_'That did not come out as I intended'_ she thought to herself.

Finally, Jaune decided to break the tense silence. His voice was hesitant as he spoke, "Are you...um...are you alright, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha nodded slowly and responded. Her usual confident tone had become unsure and slightly strained, "Y-Yes, I'm fine. I just...thought your joke was...funny..."

Another moment of silence passed between the two.

The worried boy hesitantly pointed towards the door. "We should- uh...we should go get some of that atlas toast before Nora eats all of it."

"Yes. We should," Pyrrha agreed eagerly. If he was willing to drop the matter, then she was all too happy to oblige. As the both of them left the room and made their way to the cafeteria, Pyrrha was mentally reviewing the disastrous start of Yang's advice. She said to fake laughter at his jokes. Pyrrha did exactly that. So why did it fall so flat?

_'It's fine, though,' _Pyrrha told herself. _'__I just have to avoid laughing falsely from now on._ I was never comfortable doing it anyway.'

There were other, simpler things she could still try. It's not like playing with her hair could fail as badly as forcing laughter.

* * *

Yang was quick to fix Pyrrha with a bright smile and a thumbs up from across the table as soon as she sat down. Pyrrha nodded and smiled in return. Something must have been off about her expression, though, as Yang quirked a brow at her. Pyrrha only shook her head in response. Now wasn't the ideal time to talk about what had happened in the room. She would much rather enjoy her breakfast in peace.

Before she could start eating, Yang's foot reached from under the table to tap at her shin. So much for a peaceful meal.

The redheaded Huntress looked up at the blonde. Upon seeing that she had gained said redhead's attention, Yang shrugged her head to the right. Pyrrha turned to her left and was met with the sight of Jaune happily conversing with a peppy Ruby. She turned back to Yang and quirked a brow, not quite seeing the big deal. It's not like one breakfast conversation would end with Ruby declaring her undying love for Jaune. Another jerk of the head in the pair's direction indicated that Yang wasn't as patient as her.

Pyrrha tossed one last wistful glance at her food before turning to Jaune and lightly tapping his shoulder. He turned to look at her and she attempted to engage him in conversation with her. 'Attempted' being the keyword.

"I- "

"One second Pyrrha. Sorry." He gave her an apologetic smile. Pyrrha, ever patient, just smiled back and nodded. As he turned back to talk to Ruby, Yang's foot came in contact with Pyrrha's shin again. Though a little harder this time.

The redheaded amazon jumped slightly at the hard contact and she spun her head to fix her assailant with an irritated look. Yang returned the look with equal intensity.

_"First rule of flirting: Never let the guy ignore you!"_

Oh. Right. Pyrrha turned back to Jaune to grab his attention again, but she hesitated. She didn't wanted to be rude and interrupt their conversation when Jaune had clearly indicated that he would be with her momentarily. Trying to steal away his attention in such an obtuse way was childish.

That didn't change the fact that she wanted his attention, though. She just needed to be sly about it. Her mind raced to think of a way to grab his notice without being overt about it. The gears in her mind turned furiously and she suddenly began wondering why he hadn't already ended his conversation with Ruby as she was thinking. When he said 'One second, Pyrrha', she understood it to mean he would be wrapping up his conversation to talk to her. Did he want to talk to Ruby more? Was she already second fiddle to a girl two years her junior? That wasn't good. She needed to switch his attention over to her immediately.

Her usual forward demeanor screamed to be used while her mind was still stuck on subtlety. The conflicting thought processes smashed into each other and one idea popped out from the mess. In her haste to put a stop to the storm going on in her head and to get Jaune to look at her, she grabbed the idea and implemented it immediately.

With speed and precision born from years of training, Pyrrha's hand shot out and grabbed one of Jaune's atlas toasts. The moment she retracted her hand, atlas toast secured within it, Pyrrha's common sense returned and informed her that she had done something stupid.

It also informed her that the silence that had enveloped the table was likely her fault.

All eyes had noticed the sudden and unexpected theft of the food item from the least probable source. Yang was staring slack-jawed at Pyrrha and Jaune was looking straight at Pyrrha's face with wide eyes - hoping to find an answer written there. Pyrrha herself kept her eyes locked on the soft bread locked within her grip, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes. Her cheeks burned crimson and she desperately tried to classify the unusual feeling that blossomed in her chest.

Ah, yes, 'mortification'. She was mortified. But she had clearly grabbed the blonde swordsman's attention. She just needed to play this off and mitigate the damage.

"I-um...I have your toast..."

Flawless.

"...Y-Yeah..." was Jaune's hesitant reply.

A loud slap courtesy of Yang's hand meeting her own face resounded over the table.

This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

* * *

**A/N:**** And Chapter two is now out. I apologize for the wait everyone. I had briefly written myself into a corner in this chapter and had to do heavy revisions. But enough about my excuses.**

**Atlas toast: I'm sure you're wondering what the Dust 'atlas' toast is. Well, it's french toast. But France doesn't exist on Remnant so I grabbed another region's name and slapped it in front of toast.**

**P-Money: Shout out to shikshiinjr again for being the only one to recognize this reference. It's a reference to Matt the Mammoth Rider's RWBY recaps. I highly suggest you check them out on Tumblr.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter everyone.**

**KK, out.**


End file.
